Kavalkovich, a 14-year-old from the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby, was one of the hunters to take home a deer in the second day of the annual deer hunt at Ridley Creek State Park on Thursday. In all, 50 deer were shot and killed. The first day of the hunt was Nov. 29, when 96 deer were killed.

With that bringing the total to 146, it was the highest amount brought in by the hunters in the last three years, topping the 136 from last year and the 134 from two years ago.

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It would have been difficult for anyone to top Kavalkovich's experience of bagging her first dear.

"I've been waiting to do this," she said. "I was really, really excited to get one. Everybody thought that I wouldn't shoot it, but I did. I was a little scared, but I thought, 'I can do this' and I did."

Kavalkovich, who was brought on the hunt by her dad, Ken, was in the right place at the right time. She said the deer emerged from some bushes at point-blank range for her.

"I shot it once, and it went back into the bushes, and I didn't even know if I hit it or not," she said. "Then it came back out and I shot it again in the chest."

Ken Kavalkovich has been hunting deer for 30 years. He had taken Anastasia deer hunting one other time near Waymart in the northeastern part of the state, but they didn't see any deer that day.

Now this day will be one that father and daughter will likely remember for years.

"She will have some bragging rights now," Ken Kavalkovich said.

Bragging rights were also claimed in another Delaware County household as Rich Oliver, of Chester Heights, brought his 15-year-old twin sons, Richie and Kyle, to the hunt. While they have been hunting together several times before, Richie was the one to take credit for bagging a deer this time.

"This is one of the big days for us," Rich Oliver said. "This is one of the best things I could ever do with my kids. We learn about trust and family and we can get away and do something together. Some families go to a basketball game, or whatever, we go hunting."

Ron Thompson, of the Garnet Valley section of Concord Township, bagged a deer and did one of the best things any hunter can do: He gave his deer to Dominic Mirarcini, a hunter from Philadelphia, who couldn't move around much Thursday because of a sore leg.

"He was having trouble getting around and walking, so I got this one and I just wanted to give it to him," Thompson said. "The more you move around, the more action you get."

Thompson had proof that he had moved around plenty as he was sporting about a 4-inch long scratch on the side of his face.

"Sometimes, (the deer) get in the briars and that can be pretty thick stuff," he said. "Unless you can get them out of there, there isn't much action."

Park manager Mike Kutzmonich said the ideal weather conditions, which was sunny with temperatures in the upper 40s the last two weeks, helped the action for the hunters, which is also helping the overall health of the park's deer herd.

"If it's too hot or too cold, they don't like to move around a lot," he said of the deer. "You go out now, and you see a lot healthier deer. They have better coats and look stronger because they are not eating all of the food sources in the winter."